20th-Century Industrial Black Carbon Emissions Altered Arctic Climate Forcing
Open accessAbstract
Black carbon (BC) from biomass and fossil fuel combustion alters chemical and physical properties of the atmosphere and snow albedo, yet little is known about its emission or deposition histories. Measurements of BC, vanillic acid, and non-sea-salt sulfur in ice cores indicate that sources and concentrations of BC in Greenland precipitation varied greatly since 1788 as a result of boreal forest fires and industrial activities. Beginning about 1850, industrial emissions resulted in a sevenfold increase in ice-core BC concentrations, with most change occurring in winter. BC concentrations after about 1951 were lower but increasing. At its maximum from 1906 to 1910, estimated surface climate forcing in early summer from BC in Arctic snow was about 3 watts per square meter, which is eight times the typical preindustrial forcing value.
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Since the mid-20th century, boreal forests in Eurasia and northern North America have become the dumping ground for large concentrations of anthropogenic air pollutants.
“Since the mid-20 th century, boreal forests in Eurasia and northern North America have become the dumping ground for large concentrations of anthropogenic air pollutants (McConnell et al ., 2007).”
From Ecological and conceptual consequences of Arctic pollution (2020) · cites this paper as McConnell et al ., 2007
The temporal agreement between the evolution of the DTR and industrial emissions shows both were low before the mid-20th century, then in the early 1970s DTR and industrial emissions started to simultaneously display clear parallel trends.
“This assumption is supported by the temporal agreement between the evolution of the DTR and industrial emissions: Both were low before the mid-20th century (McConnell et al ., 2007), then in the early1970s DTR and industrial emissions started to simultaneously display clear parallel trends.”
From Ecological and conceptual consequences of Arctic pollution (2020) · cites this paper as McConnell et al., 2007
Unprecedented concentrations of pollutants have driven both historic cooling and amplified recent warming in the Arctic.
“Unprecedented concentrations of pollutants (McConnell et al ., 2007; Smith et al ., 2011) have driven both historic cooling and amplified recent warming in the Arctic (Acosta Navarro et al ., 2016).”
From Ecological and conceptual consequences of Arctic pollution (2020) · cites this paper as McConnell et al., 2007
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Lamarque, J.-F., Bond, T. C., Eyring, V., Granier, C., Heil, A., Klimont, Z., Lee, D., Liousse, C., Mieville, A., Owen, B., et al. (2010) · Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics · doi:10.5194/acp-10-7017-2010 · Cited by 2,105 · see citing works
Self-citationA review of biochar and its use and function in soil
Sohi, S. P., Krull, E., Lopez-Capel, E., & Bol, R. (2010) · Advances in Agronomy · doi:10.1016/s0065-2113(10)05002-9 · Cited by 2,240 · see citing works
Sigl, M., McConnell, J. R., Layman, L., Maselli, O., McGwire, K., Pasteris, D., Dahl‐Jensen, D., Steffensen, J. P., Vinther, B., Edwards, R., et al. (2013) · Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres · doi:10.1029/2012jd018603 · Cited by 363 · see citing works
Self-citationMcConnell, J. R., Wilson, A. I., Stohl, A., Arienzo, M. M., Chellman, N. J., Eckhardt, S., Thompson, E. M., Pollard, A. M., & Steffensen, J. P. (2018) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1721818115 · Cited by 312 · see citing works
Self-citationRose, N. L. (2015) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/acs.est.5b00543 · Cited by 178 · see citing works
McConnell, J. R., Burke, A., Dunbar, N. W., Köhler, P., Thomas, J. L., Arienzo, M. M., Chellman, N. J., Maselli, O. J., Sigl, M., Adkins, J. F., et al. (2017) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1705595114 · Cited by 135 · see citing works
Self-citationEcological and conceptual consequences of Arctic pollution
Kirdyanov, A. V., Krusic, P. J., Shishov, V. V., Vaganov, E. A., Fertikov, A. I., Myglan, V. S., Barinov, V. V., Browse, J., Esper, J., Ilyin, V. A., et al. (2020) · Ecology Letters · doi:10.1111/ele.13611 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
“Unprecedented concentrations of pollutants (McConnell et al., 2007; Smith et al., 2011) have driven both historic cooling and amplified recent warming in the Arctic (Acosta Navarro et al., 2016).”
BackgroundInfluentialSea ice and pollution-modulated changes in Greenland ice core methanesulfonate and bromine
Maselli, O. J., Chellman, N. J., Grieman, M., Layman, L., McConnell, J. R., Pasteris, D., Rhodes, R. H., Saltzman, E., & Sigl, M. (2017) · Climate of the Past · doi:10.5194/cp-13-39-2017 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Self-citationDecreasing Arctic Sea Ice Mirrors Increasing CO<sub>2</sub> on Decadal Time Scale
Johannessen, O. M. (2008) · Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Letters · doi:10.1080/16742834.2008.11446766 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
- Authors
- McConnell, J. R., Edwards, R., Kok, G. L., Flanner, M. G., Zender, C. S., Saltzman, E. S., Banta, J. R., Pasteris, D. R., Carter, M. M., & Kahl, J. D. W.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Irvine (US)
- Corresponding author
- McConnell, Joseph R.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 2007-09-07
- Volume
- 317
- Issue
- 5843
- Pages
- 1381-1384
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2025173880
- Cited by
- 626
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 31 · 2023: 38 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 48 · 2020: 42 · 2019: 52 · 2018: 40 · 2017: 45 · 2016: 35 · 2015: 43 · 2014: 39 · 2013: 31 · 2012: 38
- FWCI
- 14.42
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- escholarship.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Atmospheric aerosols and clouds
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Keywords
- black carbon, industrial emissions, Greenland ice cores, snow albedo, vanillic acid, boreal forest fires, fossil fuel combustion, historical climate change, 20th century
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